Little Italy: From Kenmare to Canal Street

This is where Little Italy and Chinatown collide and refuse to sort themselves out.

Bouncy cheesecake next to red-sauce joints. Mochi-nut shops across from dim sum counters. The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral (The Godfather one) and the beloved Elizabeth Street Garden are tucked between. It's touristy, it's crowded, and it works.

You’ll find the galleries and art project spaces up, down, and around Elizabeth Street, around the corner on Grand, and all the way down onto Canal Street and the lower end of the Bowery – inside an old garage, a church rectory, and an office that overlooks the amusement park rides during the Feast of San Gennaro.

PARTICIPANT, INC., one of the city’s most beloved alternative art spaces for radical, experimental, and LGBTQ+ art, anchors the scene. Peter Blum Gallery has also been around since the 90’s. The rest of the galleries are solid independents showing work that rewards attention.

This isn't downtown's flashiest circuit. It’s not its quietest. But it might be the most fun to wander.

Go see for yourself.